Hagel’s holdup comes down to GOP ‘vendetta’

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, says Senate Republicans are embarrassing the U.S. in the international community by delaying the confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense.

“This is a vendetta, this is a holdover from the past and I think it’s making the United States look very bad,” Bass told Jansing & Co. “We have so many dangers that we’re facing around the world right now and there’s so many expectations for our international leadership and what signal is this sending to the world?”

Current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has agreed to stay on the job until Hagel is finally confirmed. But that vote won’t happen until February 26. Republicans blocking the nomination want more information from Hagel and more details about the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

But Bass says this is just political payback, and says it’s time for Republicans to come to terms with their stinging defeats last November. “Are they ever going to get over it? The election is done, we need to move on.”